Maximum magic item limit per character

[Equinox]

Stupid

[Blake the Boar]

Yeah, there is no IC way to explain that ... I also hate the fact that consumables make winners, allowing loot whores to win in all, despite their RPing or fair play ... However, it allows non power builds to prevail... I say Just wait them buff up and dispel them ... KD or take down your enemy before and while he is drinking all his booze ... Just don't duel potion whores and get them off guard ... (although, take that to IC, otherwise it would be just griefing) These are some suggestions ...

[ExileStrife]

Where are there stoneskin/day boots?

[ScottyB]

I think there are better ways than items to create engaging, difficult and tactical encounters. However, in NWN we have consumable items, and to change from that model to something more fair would require drastic and extensive changes. It's the kind of decision that would have to be made at the start of a server's history. For EFUA, deal with the learning curve of consumable management.

[Nihm]

Oh man, I wish I could keep this magic sword I earned killing a dragon, but I already have two magic rings, a magic bag, and magic boots! Decisions decisions!"

There are any number of ways this could be done.  It is magic afterall, not science.  The more magic you pack into your greedy, item-whoring inventory (all characters on efua love magic items, despite their background or class - otherwise they couldn't survive of course) the more unstable things ought to get.  Whoa, my pack is turning pink now and spawning Vorpal Rabbits from another plane now because I have 53 Magic swords crammed inside!  I better get rid of some!
 
I'd propose a system where each powerful item - ie, something that casts a spell/day, boosts a stat, or has a plus two or better enchantment against something - gets a value of One applied to the character.  These items should not be so common that assigning these values becomes a task for the DM that makes them.
When the value of a character is four, they get a message that the amount of magic they're carting around is starting to get unstable.  Any further artifacts might have some bad consequences like stuff breaking, exploding, etc.
 
Furthermore having so many items might be attracting attention from something like Magic Eaters.
 
As for the potions, I am tired of the endless and stupendous amounts that get drunk nonstop, every pvp, every DM event, the answer is always, always drink potions for everything . . . can anyone name one server where potions are drunk remotely as often as on Efua.  All this magic should have consequences.  A fixed limit of potions / day still allows for plenty of strategy - more, in fact than unlimited, since timing and picking specific buffs rather than "all" becomes important - and plenty of power.
 
Saying that Dm or Pvp would then be too hard isn't accurate.  Dms and players would adjust, PvP would offer the same handicap to your opponent as to you.

[BrittanyPanthas]

Its the potions that make those DM events manageable.  Without them, the DMs would have to scale down most monsters to be trivial to most players.

Otherwise without a drastic difficulty decrease, the DMs would have to end every event with either perma-ing, or deus ex machina saving entire parties.

I don't like the idea taking out any IC abilities for a player to meet and exceed the challenges laid before them by the DMs.  I'm all for challenging events and spice.

Otherwise, what's the point of playing if everything is easy to the point where anyone can do it, or hard to the point where noone can do it?

[UnholyWon]

I think consumable magical items will become harder to come by with the new banner system. Why I think this, is because the economy of EFU:A is going to see major ups and downs as qoutas are not met and item prices are increased dramatically. I expect consumable magic item cost to make and sell to double, making them even more rare and leading to some awesome quests and RP.  

As for the magical items, don't punish the character that went through hell to get them, be it DM quests, PvP, or just getting lucky on a chest. The player that has them earned them, that's just a fact. The DMs try really, really, really freaking hard to see that the server does not become over balanced.

[Professor Death]

Here's a take on several issues I see being raised in this thread:

1. High/low Magic
Most interestingly what's been touched on here is the "low magic" *wink wink* nature of the server.  Low level is perhaps more appropriate.  Is the server low magic?  I think it depends on whose definition we use.  If we look at what the game has to offer - -level 40 casters and epic spells and vorpal weapons and stuff like that, then yes we are low magic.  

I ran what I considered a low magic/low gold PnP game for years, and EFU is WAY more magical than my campaign ever was.  Players were thrilled to get a few potions and a scroll now and then (like EFU, most of my loot was consumable), and I think after three years of play, the group had two or three magical weapons or armor suits between them all.

Has EFUA gotten a bit out of hand?  Maybe, for "low magic/low economy" purists.  There ARE a lot of options for potions and wands out there if you want to look a bit, and there are some seriously nice armors, weapons, and the like as well - and not all that rare.  Could it be scaled back?  Certainly.  Change the loot drops and wait for the natural attrition of characters to take the level back down rather than take a heavy handed approach - assuming we all collectively think there is a problem.  Finally, think about where we are situated - the isles are a former Netherese locale.  There should certainly be all sorts of powerful magic about the place - maybe that's why there is so much magic in a low magic server!  Justify it however you like.

2. Disparate loot for non-casters.
I have to agree here, having seen some of the armors that fire more acid missiles than any item I've yet to encounter.  Armors and some weapons aside (because they are heavy and thus you cannot carry many), there are STILL a lot of low weight insta-buffs out there that devalue a lot of what casters can bring to the table.  The advantage casters have is that their spells last longer than most buffing items, but the disadvantage to casters becomes that if no casters are easily available, most parties don't care becuase they have plenty of buffs already available in their stockpiled items to get them through a quest or two.  I would certainly be in favor of more items usable ONLY by casters of some kind as opposed to all folks.  This would certainly put some umph back on casters as masters of the arcane and archaic rather than as the "buff me and then stay out of the way" characters they generally are.

[Drakill Tannan]

Bah balanced? maybe PvP but in no way PvM. Casters are unecesary to buff up, and their offensive spells simply don't help on most quests. I said it before, the spells were designed to kill enemies with 20-30 life, not 50. I've quested as a wizard and didn't help, felt useless. I've quested with buffing wizards and it's like having potions, i've quested with fireball throwing wizards and they simply don't help enough to add to the quest.

Basically, what Profesor death said. Magic is avilable to everyone, i'd like to add that you take into consideration that certian NPC that can cast barbskin and Owl's wisdom for 50 gold. And there is this other in the exiled camp but i forghot what buffs he offers.

Really, i understand in the ruins of the Netherise there will be magic, but usable by anyone? just make it so only wizards/socreres/rogues can use the fancy trinkets, and change the acid arrow armors for acid arrow wands (for example). Egon mentioned a lack of casters, it's because they are weak questwise, and most people quest more than do PvP.

[derfo]

I think it'd make sense if instead they limited potions by a racial magical affinity. Races like Netherese, Thayans, or elves could have an increase in their magical threshold while more idiot races like Chultans and Calimshites could have lesser or negative ones where they have to destroy magic items in frustration on a regular basis.

[core]

I think that (and I feel that DMs would agree), that players like MadCaddies, master_oarsman, ignatiev, k_mercer and other players of their calibre can be trusted with magical items and potions, and thus should not be subjected to item limitation. However, I also feel that players such as Kotenku, derflaro, Nihm and Caster cannot at all be trusted with magical items and potions as they seem to use them solely for powerquesting, dry-looting and FDing. This really destroys the unique feel of the server, and I feel that players in this 'category' should be limited to 5 magical items or potions per player.

[Semli]

[Kotenku]

I wasn't even going to notice this thread but it came up on my frequent searches of the forum for appearances of my Username/ past-present character names, and saw core's post.

For somebody who plays as often, and from as many different perspectives as you do, Nihm, you seem to have a dramatically distorted view of the server.

You seem to have missed the PC who died attempting to win a Sip of the Void, and the fact that it was being awarded only on par with a massive horde of extremely coveted pieces of equipment, not one of which could be considered remotely game-breaking.

The Server's loot level is right on the money right now, I think; and characters who are awesome will continue to be rewarded for it. Regardless, I'm sure, of who their player is.

[Letsplayforfun]

This is a recurrent topic.

While i do agree there is too much magic stuff going around, it is probably on par with the server difficulty. People need consummable to survive, unless they are very good with NWN mechanics (and even then...)

If you accumulate ressources because somehow you don't need them, good for you. If you think that they make a huge difference in pvp, good, that way weak builds are on par with powerbuilds.

Magic items do tend to render spellcasters much less useful, so i certainly would be in favor of more class restricted items, even potions useable only by good/neutral or evil/neutral people.

[Belgaroth]

Adventurer 1: "Hey, are you crazy?? Why the hell did you drop these speed potions on the floor??"
 
Adventurer 2: "Well, I've already four, and some unknown force prevents me from having more in my bag"
 
Adventurer 1: "Why don't you sell them then?"
 
Adventurer 2: "I tried, but all of the people I met have four magical items and that weird unknown force prevents them for getting more also"
 
lol?